Britain advised by US insiders to reduce UK reliance on US military equipment

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&quot;If countries are “deemed not to be doing what you are told you will suddenly find out missiles won’t fire and planes won’t fly. You have got to be careful.&quot;<p>So if a country buys US military equipment, they don&#x27;t really own it, just like normal consumers don&#x27;t really own their game consoles, which will become useless without the online services they depend on.

The loss of credibility and trustworthiness will only make the US smaller and weaker.

Particularly interesting given the UK’s nuclear deterrent relies on a delivery system consisting of a co-mingled pool of Trident II missiles held in the United States.

&gt; <i>They said that a US administration could put restrictions on kit from the US and that if countries are “deemed not to be doing what you are told you will suddenly find out missiles won’t fire and planes won’t fly. You have got to be careful.”</i><p>&gt; <i>The source said: “This is the transactional side of Trump.”</i>

It would be pretty stupid for the UK to actually reduce reliance on US equipment. This just sounds like someone manufacturing a story for clicks.

This sounds like a tactic to scare the UK into making concessions in broader negotiations. Seems like a typical Trump tactic.<p>The way the British government has been courting the US and especially the new US administration so far out of weakness&#x2F;isolation this is likely to work.